The Influencing Machine Summary

As technology in this modern era grows even more powerful, practical and therefore convenient for our everyday lives, it also becomes problematic. This is because some individuals could abuse the privilege of having information be available to them in a matter of seconds and then rely very heavily on technology. This is by hurting their real human relationships- these individuals get carried away with how entertaining and useful their devices can be, and seek out short term satisfaction in terms of their devices- instead of having real interaction with the people who matter most to them, such as their wife, husband, children, etc. These types of people are displayed in the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This is evident in the controlled

Every day, everywhere people are using technology to check email, calculate tax, and talk with each other. Technology has greatly affected the social structure today and in Fahrenheit 451. Technology has effected how the TV controls our lives, how we communicate with one another, and how strong the social structure is In both the real world and Fahrenheit 451.

Over time people have gotten lazier and we have machines to blame. According to Ray Bradbury, “why learn anything save pressing buttons…”( Bradbury 53). In Bradbury’s society in Fahrenheit 451 people just sit back, relax, press a button, and watch a machine do the work for them. Much like in our society, people get lazy and just watch a machine do the work that they could be doing, and having no human interaction whatsoever. According to The Bottom Line, “Internet and mobile technology seems to be subtly destroying the meaningfulness of interactions we have with others.”(Technology Destroying Human Interaction). This is becoming the reality not only in Fahrenheit 451 but in our everyday society.

The use of technology has catalyzed society into an era that is increasingly interconnected yet impersonal at the same time. Despite technology’s endless list of assets, many fail to acknowledge its shortcomings when mentioning what is lost as a result of using it. Although in “Great to Watch” by Maggie Nelson, she is not afraid to share her skepticism of technology, as well as the role it plays in desensitizing individuals on a day-to-day basis. The internet is an invaluable resource to many because it is a public domain for sharing ideas, opinions, and knowledge that any and everyone can have access to. In a sense, it does not restrict what someone may see or do, and this can either be a good thing or a bad thing. The booming use of new media

Do you control your technology, or does it control you? Written in 2002, M.T. Anderson’s Feed shows the world as a technology based society much like the one we live in today. The characters in this book use it an internet like service called the feed to communicate with each other, buy things, and even go to school. The feed in the story not only serves as the main point of conflict, but also symbolizes Anderson’s fear of the future in an age where technology is on the rise.

Journalist, Clive Thompson in his book, “Smarter Than You Think”, specifically in the chapter titled, “Public Thinking”, published on September 12, 2013, addresses the topic of technology and argues that because of the internet, we are doing more writing now than ever. Therefore technology is helping us think publicly in new and improved ways. He supports this claim by asserting that there is an improvement in our writing, which is happening because of the “audience effect”, he then goes on to say that anything we write changes the way we think, and finally he talks about how the internet builds connections, which is essential to the spread of new ideas. Thompson’s purpose is to inform readers about how the internet is a tool being used to advance our society in order to encourage more people to partake in online, public thinking. He adopts a contemplative tone for his audience, the readers of The New York Times, and others interested in the topic of technology. It is my intention in this paper to analyze the author’s subclaims and use of rhetorical strategies.

Have you ever gotten lost in the Internet, swallowed by the constant updates on Twitter and Facebook for hours, when you only meant to be on for a few minutes? This is a constant battle in our society and technology changes and our use of it increases. It is becoming a bigger issue every day, and now it affects one of our basics psychological needs: sleep. Though I concede with Brooke Gladstone, author of “The Influencing Machines” that we can adapt to technology as it grows, I still insist that some issues that arise with technology are bigger than Gladstone portrays and we need to find solutions for some of the bigger problems that technology creates, especially when it disturbs a basic psychological need.

The internet is a very powerful source that can be useful but damaging at the same time. Both Cullington and Turkle hold strong opinions about the extent the internet can control and help us. Cullington says that texting so much will affect the way you construct papers, grammar errors, and lack of emotion within a paper. With that note, Turkle is saying the internet is a place to hide behind a screen in order to express who you are. I agree both authors are arguing the internet can misinterpret the way we reflect ourselves on the web. Just because the internet is changing doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing for everyone. The internet is a stronger source than anything else offered before, as long as it’s used appropriately.

Society today possesses an over-reliance on technology. Advancements in technology paved the way for the formation of new applications and forms of social media that potentially lead to the loss of the intimacy of communication and personal relationships among users. As a result of the ease of communication through technology, face-to-face interaction rarely occurs anymore. Long before technology began advancing at a rapid pace, authors used their medium of writing to comment on the dangers of relying on technology too excessively. E.M. Forster’s short story, “The Machine Stops,” written in 1909, highlights a dilemma that society’s over-reliance on technology created between virtual connectivity and face-to-face interaction. That over-reliance, perfect for the futuristic, dystopian society in “The Machine Stops,” also serves as a cautionary tale for the technological culture of today.

In 1909, E.M. Forster wrote a short story called “The Machine Stops.” Interestingly, this story seemed to give a small prediction of our social media today. In it, humans have “eschewed physical interaction for solitary existences in separate underground rooms.” However, they do continue communicate audibly. This is just done through “phone-like pads and screens.” In this situation, The Machine provides everything that humans needs and it is not questioned. It is basically the totalitarian manifestation of the Internet (Allfree).

For instance, Gladstone mentions how facial recognition features in our phones are actually helpful because it recognizes anyone and “no one ever has to be a stranger”. She also says how there is contact lenses that can block out anything you do not want to see. With this being said she convinces the reader that not only should we not be scared of technology but also inform us on how it can be helpful. This was a good decision to provide examples because it gives the reader knowledge on how technology is not supposed to be scary but actually helpful. This is one of the best choices she made to convey her argument because it makes her article be more focused on why she believes modern technology is not something we should fear to the

Projections that have been made about how today’s society and culture will look in the coming years, decades, and centuries, all have yet to be seen in how valid they are. If you look in any sort of media: television, social media, or radio/music, you will see people giving their interpretations of what will become of our world down the road. Yet, few people look to see how our the current state of culture and society reflect the projections made by people in previous years, decades, and centuries. In looking at the visions of the future presented by both novelas, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, and The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster, each story presents aspects of society that prominently appear today. Written during the Industrial Revolution, a time where technology and human innovation was at one of its highest points in recent history, both stories explore the possible effects of the machinery that was becoming evermore present. Both authors present aspects such as omnipotent technology, decaying human independence, and destruction of real communication, to create the artistic statement that complacency is rising within the human race, and that complacency will eventually lead to the fall of mankind. In both stories, the authors speak against human complacency and deference to technology, warning that it will lead to the creation of weaker people and society that will ultimately destroy the human race, yet that complacency is present in today’s culture and due to the

Perhaps the biggest social cost of the Internet, however, is its enabling of self-segregation, resulting in group polarization. With increased information choices, people selectively expose themselves to think-alike media and bloggers. As studies of group polarization repeatedly demonstrate, people in like-minded groups tend to reinforce their shared views and shift toward the extreme. The Internet echo chamber is a perfect example: It serves as a social amplifier that feeds and strengthens shared views. Sometimes this is for good, as peacemakers become more pacifistic and cancer survivors find mutual support.

Carr discusses the effects that the Internet has on our minds and the way we think, as well as the way media has changed. Our minds no longer focus. When in conversation with people we are constantly distracted by the technological advances our era has brought. Text messages, emails, pop culture drama has all taken

Certain media theorists such as Sherry Turkle do an incredible job on studying these properties of technology and their bearing on us, but sometimes seem to dwell on the negative side of the analysis. In short some of these media theorists do astonishing work studying the impact socially that using and communicating through modern technology has, but then takes a negative stance due to their archaic understanding of what is capable with these technologies. We have come so far in the past years in advancing humanity and its natural predicaments while being heavily reliant on technology to communicate. Not noting that advancement is pessimistic and